


Goataway

by calmena



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Goats, Not Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie) Compliant, Not Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Compliant, Not Captain America: Civil War (Movie) Compliant, Possibly Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-02
Updated: 2019-02-02
Packaged: 2019-10-21 02:27:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,058
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17634278
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/calmena/pseuds/calmena
Summary: The Winter Soldier comes in from the cold, and Tony can think of nothing better than to buy him a farm. The goats, however, aren't his idea.





	Goataway

**Author's Note:**

  * For [rudearrow](https://archiveofourown.org/users/rudearrow/gifts).



> A big thank you to nomdeplumeria and Mey for beta-reading this madness, and the people on the Winteriron server in general for being awesome.

When the Winter Soldier is brought in - comes in on his own, really - it's less dramatic than Tony expects. The man seems tired, above all else. There is power in every move he makes but there is an air about him that screams of an exhaustion so potent, Tony wants to throw blankets at him and make him take a nap.

The first thing the Winter Soldier does is toss all of his most obvious weapons on the floor in front of them.

"I don't want to fight anymore," he says then, voice rough from disuse, into a beard that has overtaken half his face.

Tony takes him at his word.

And gets him a farm.

 

* * *

 

"Why a farm?" Steve asks quizzically, staring at the tablet displaying all the details Barnes could ever want.

Barnes doesn't say anything. He's still staring at the picture of the shed that had housed goats at some point in the past, according to the realtor. His hands are gripping the tablet so firmly, Tony would be worried about the technology if it wasn't _his_. There's no expression on Barnes' face as he reads over the information for what has to be the fifth time.

Tony ignores Steve's question and instead stares at Barnes, just barely able to bite back his anticipation.

"So?" he asks instead, flippant like he really _isn't_ , "What do you think?"

Barnes keeps looking, then releases one of his hands enough to move on to the next photo, carefully swiping left on the screen. There's an almost wondering look in his eyes now, and a tiny frown on his forehead that Tony doesn't think is actually a bad sign, in this case.

"Are the goats included?" Barnes asks, staring at the three animals on the screen.

Tony blinks. Of all the questions Barnes could've asked, this one he hadn't expected.

"I don't think so?" he answers, though it comes out more as a question because truth be told, he doesn't actually know. "JARVIS, could you check?"

It takes all of two minutes before JARVIS has an answer for them. "It appears the goats can be included upon request."

Barnes ends up holding a five minute speech about wanting the goats.

Tony waves for JARVIS to go ahead and send the request thirty seconds in.

 

* * *

 

"What do you even _do_ with goats?"

Tony is frowning at the animals, mouth pulled into a skeptic frown. They're not actually doing anything right that moment, standing around and munching on a shrub, but he doesn't trust the peace. Any moment now, they're going to start jumping around and generally wreaking havoc. He's seen the gifs.

Barnes snorts and rolls his eyes but doesn't actually say anything. He does go up to one of the goats and start patting its head like it did a particularly clever trick, though, even if it really didn't.

"Seriously, Barnes. Are you _sure_ you want the goats?"

"I'm sure I want the goats."

The answer is calm and even, and when Tony looks at Steve, hovering in the background as if he's afraid of the animals, he just gets a shrug. When Tony attempts to find reason in Clint, the man has disappeared, which doesn't bode well.

It also means that Tony doesn't have anyone else to look at for input, so he ends up staring at empty space instead.

 

* * *

 

Clint is on top of the goat shed.

Tony blinks while Barnes and Steve just walk past him and into the main building as if everything is perfectly normal.

"How is that even _holding_ you?" Tony finally blurts. There's a goat dancing back and forth in front of the shed, making what seem to be, in Tony's amateur opinion, distressed noises, but he can't get past the math not adding up to even address that.

Clint pouts and flicks a piece of straw in Tony's direction. It falls to the ground halfway. "What are you trying to tell me with that?" he asks theatrically, looking at Tony with wide eyes that are probably supposed to look doleful, but are more creepy than anything else.

Tony decides that doesn't deserve an answer and follows Steve and Barnes into the main building, instead.

 

* * *

 

Barnes is utterly infatuated with the goats. He dotes on them so much it should probably be embarrassing, but he's so happy that Tony can't not indulge him in his joy.

 

* * *

 

They're watching Daisy chase Clint around with some hay hanging from her mouth. Tony can't help the grin at the sight. He still doesn't know what Clint did to make a goat decide to adopt him as her young, apparently, but she'd tried to bring him food every time she'd seen him since the first time Clint had decided to perch on top of the goat shed.

Bucky, sitting next to him on the stairs leading up to the door of the landing, snorts when Clint stumbles and falls, and the goat bounces over him before dropping the food on his head. "I'm pretty sure she's just trolling him," Bucky confides, and Tony laughs lowly.

"Of course she is," he marvels, shaking his head, because this is part of his life now.

It's just the Tony, Bucky and Clint this time, Steve having decided to stay back in New York, probably because during his last visit, Bubbles had accidentally bounced off his shin and actually managed to bruise it.

Bucky had laughed hard enough to have tears in his eyes at Steve's indignant face, and Tony had promptly snapped a picture on his phone, setting it as his background for no reason other than to bug Steve with it.

Tony is surprised to find that he doesn't actually mind coming to visit regularly. The fact that Bucky has apparently decided to become a goat farmer and that Tony is actually pretty fond of the man is only about seventy percent of the reason.

The goats are pretty neat, too.

Clint, of course, loves the little trolls almost as much as Bucky does.

Leaning back, Tony closes his eyes and tilts his face towards the sun, enjoying the warmth on his skin.

For a few seconds, it's quiet and calm, and he can breathe. Then Clint screams shrilly and Bucky breaks out in almost hysterical laughter, and the calm is over.

Tony can't bring himself to mind.


End file.
